In light-heat converting heat mode transfer, an image is obtained by transferring an image forming layer from a recording material to an image receiving material and by transferring the image forming layer from the image receiving material to a final recording medium, in which close adhesion between the recording material and the image receiving material is extremely important. When an image is highly sharp, in particular, smoothness of a sheet has a great influence. Even in the case of a color proof that reproduces halftone dots, resolving power ranging from at least several .mu.m to ten-odd .mu.m is required, which represents an area where unevenness of the surface of a sheet or a sheet of paper can not be disregarded.
As a means for improving close adhesion between a recording material and an image receiving material, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 22080/1994 (hereinafter referred to as Japanese Patent O.P.I Publication) discloses a technology to provide a soft or thermosoftening cushion layer between a support and an image forming layer or between a support and an image receiving layer.
In the technology mentioned above, a recording material consists of at least a support, a cushion layer, a light-heat converting layer and an image forming layer, while, an image receiving material consists of at least a support, a cushion layer, a peeling layer and an image receiving layer. In the course of light irradiation, the image forming layer peels off the light-heat converting layer at an interface between them, and is transferred onto the image receiving layer of the image receiving material. The transferred image is laminated on a final support in the following process, and the peeling layer and the image receiving layer are subjected to interfacial peeling to form a final image.
In this case, when softness of the cushion layer is sufficient, close adhesion between the recording material and the image receiving material can be secured sufficiently, which solves a problem of an image defect and makes transfer to a final support to be smooth.
In this connection, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 127685/1994 discloses a technology wherein a cushion layer made of flexible material is provided, through solvent coating, on a support on which an intermediate layer is laminated before the support is wound.
In the method mentioned above, however, there has been a problem that a coating solvent spreads itself into a cushion layer when coating an image forming layer or an image receiving layer, and deterioration of storage stability of image forming materials is caused by a solvent residue, and surface characteristics of the image forming layer tends to be deteriorated.
In Japanese Patent Application No. 127685/1994, there is disclosed a method wherein an amount of a solvent is limited to be lower than a certain level by using a solvent having a high drying speed, for the purpose of solving the problem caused by the solvent residue. Though the solvent residue can surely be reduced in this method, a range for selecting a solvent used is narrowed. There has been a further problem that cracks are easily caused in the course of transport because of the coating wherein a soft cushion layer is a lower layer.
As a method for making a thermal transfer image receiving material of sublimation type, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 234278/1994 discloses a method wherein a temporary support on which an image receiving layer, a dye barrier layer, and a cushion layer are laminated is stuck on a support, and then, the temporary layer is peeled off. When this method is used, the problems of solvent residue and occurrence of scratches in transportation can be solved.
However, a subject matter of the patent mentioned above is a method of making a thermal transfer image receiving material of sublimation type, and no heat adhesion characteristic is required for an image receiving layer which is a peeling surface. Therefore, even when a silicone compound which is generally known to be excellent in releasing properties is used as a releasing layer on the temporary layer, no trouble is caused. However, in the case of an image forming material for transfer of a fusion type as in the invention, silicone compounds of mold releasing agents move to the transfer surface and deteriorate transfer sensitivity strikingly.
Furthermore, in the case of an image forming material for light-heat converting heat mode recording related to the invention, interfacial peeling between an intermediate layer and an image forming layer or between an intermediate layer and an image receiving layer is required in each process. Therefore, the laminating method has another problem that an intermediate layer alone is transferred.
Namely, there has been demanded a manufacturing method employing a layer with mold releasing properties which makes it possible to transfer without having any interfacial peeling between an intermediate layer and an image forming layer or between an intermediate layer and an image receiving layer, and makes a thermal image transfer process sensitivity not to be lowered.